


The Nightingales Sing Sweetly

by firefliesburningmeup



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Human Cha Hakyeon, Inspired by "Fantasy" by VIXX, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Kami Jung Taekwoon, LOONA as supporting cast, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tsukumogami Han Sanghyuk, a mythological mutt one could say, basically the orpheus and eurydice fic no one but me wanted, both in the ghost way and the monstery way, but iike not greek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22896832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firefliesburningmeup/pseuds/firefliesburningmeup
Summary: "Tell me about a complicated man.Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost."Cha Hakyeon is human, but one incredibly stubborn human.
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Jung Taekwoon | Leo, Kim Wonshik | Ravi/Lee Jaehwan | Ken
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	The Nightingales Sing Sweetly

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first time ive posted my fics in 43540 years whoops. 
> 
> anyway, this is inspired by the fantasy mv, but pretty loosely? it's equally inspired by the lore and my love for folklore & mythology though it follows none of those things very closely. so, different plot from the ker trilogy though some things and scenes directly rift of the mv's. also, while i've researched and read up on a lot of mythos, this isn't and isn't intended to be super accurate or original to one mythos- i've pulled from korean, japanese, greek and more! so yeah, just roll with it? all will be revealed in due time, including the different members & the raken uwu
> 
> this is also mostly a vixx fic, so if you're not an orbit, dw, they're just supporting cast to vixx. if you're an orbit? hell yeah. if you're an orbit who's interested in loonaverse? heeeell yeah. not accurate, but def inspired by it.
> 
> the quote in the summary is from emily wilson's translation of the odyssey, which i love dearly.
> 
> enjoy.

“You’ll be back, right?” Hakyeon asks quietly. The night is painfully still, and the only thing Hakyeon can hear is the distant susurrus of sheaves of rice. Background noise in a quiet that Hakyeon is scared of breaking. His room ( _their_ room if he’s being honest), feels prenaturally still in this darkness. The world beyond their bed is hidden by the dark of his gauzy curtains. His neat desk, the little potted herbs, the distant reality of their lives- all just minutiae hidden by the dark. Instead there’s only Taekwoon. Hakyeon gazes at him, unable to look away from the way his silver hair is dyed bronze by the fire light, and the way Taekwoon’s eyes pierce right through him- as if trying to sear Hakyeon into memory. They don’t pierce him for the same reason that most flinch from his gaze- instead it’s for how achingly laid bare everything is. How loving it is, his heart thinks. His heart is overflowing with feeling and it spills out, shining out in his gaze. As if Hakyeon is the only thing that matters to him. Hakyeon is breathless with the weight of it, and he'd bear it forever as long as Taekwoon kept looking at him like that.

But his eyes is Hakyeon's only glimpse of emotion, the rest of his face an expressionless mask. Like it hasn't been in a long time. It comes down whenever he feels shy or nervous, usually both. He tuckes his emotions away then. But Hakyeon and Taekwoon knew each other too well for that. Back then, Taekwoon had been colder, more distant but Hakyeon was, is, nothing but persistent. Even when Taekwoon had vacillated between shying away and clinging, and refusing to admit it, how could Hakyeon stay away? Every moment together felt like a gift as Taekwoon had slowly opened up to him in fits and spurts. Taekwoon didn’t need to say anything for Hakyeon to know how he felt- he was familiar to him as his own bones, his own heart. He understands Taekwoon, without sight and without words. He had known when Taekwoon started pulling away. There’s a part of him that tried to linger, but everyday, he grew more distant. More resolute. There was something pulling at him. 

His Woonie is stubborn like that- there are some ideas even Hakyeon couldn’t fight against. And he knows that each time, they mattered a lot, and painful as it was sometimes, even when they disagreed- Hakyeon understood that some things were just important to Taekwoon. Even if this time, it meant he had to leave again. The thought leaves Hakyeon heartsick, even as he tries to smile at Taekwoon. This could be the last time he sees Taekwoon- the feline slant of his eyes, the smile hidden behind a stern jaw, the shoulders that fit so well beneath his chin and the hand that covers his own so easily. He hasn’t said anything, but Hakyeon knows. 

It won't be the first time Taekwoon leaves but he'll come back. Like he does everytime. Sometimes, Taekwoon knew that with certainty, but sometimes his goodbye rings with a fearful finality. And yet, each time he comes back anyway. So Hakyeon holds that hope in his heart as Taekwoon nods while he clutches onto Hakyeon’s hands.

  


“He’s been pretty quiet, hasn’t he? ” a voice asks suddenly asks her. Hyunjin startles, eyes going wide as she turns to look at who had settled in the branches of the peach tree. It’s Heejin of course, staring down at Hakyeon as if she hadn’t given Hyunjin a shock. She's mostly human looking, though the finely patterned jaegori is at odds with the careless way Heejin has rucked up her pink chima. Typical Heeki. 

Hyunjin sighs but follows her gaze down below. It’s true. Hakyeon’s been in the garden again, ostensibly writing. In practice, he was just looking around and sighing over the flowers Taekwoon had once been gifting him. It was getting worrying. He had moped for awhile, after Taekwoon had gone before he quickly went back to being the hyperactive Hakyeon but as moons kept passing, his normal upbeat attitude had started waning as well. And he wasn’t even being dramatic about it these days, so it wasn’t even very fun to bother him about it. 

“Taekwoon-oppa’s been gone awhile, so I guess he's been too busy pining,” Hyunjin says, faux solemn to Heejin's amusement. So, it was still a little fun, Hyunjin admits to herself a little guility.

“Ya! I can hear you two, you know. The disrespect I have to bear in my own house!” Hakyeon whines grumpily from down below and the two girls’ giggles get even louder. “I haven’t said anything mean!” Heejin fake protests, pouting. Hyunjin laughs. “You were supposed to hear it!” This sets off another round of giggles in Heejin, who starts playfully pounding her fists against Hyunjin’s arm, whining about bullying and that Hyunjin, I just wanted to visit, you’re always dragging me into this!

Hakyeon looks back down, ignoring the two girls above him. Really, why do they like poking so much fun at him? Still, he usually takes it in good humor. Hakyeon doesn’t really mind. Unlike his late father, who wouldn’t have approved- something about nobility, but then, that’s why no one particularly liked him. Hakyeon didn’t care for it himself, finding every part of him rebelling at the thought. The two of them were good….kids? Spirits? He knows that appearances could be deceiving with spirits, but Hakyeon suspected that wasn’t the case with them. Taekwoon certainly treated them like kids, as did Sanghyuk. They acted like most young girls he knew anyway, friendly but teasing. Painfully young and carefree. Hakyeon felt the need to hide from them how heavily Taekwoon’s absence weighed on him. So, he wasn't moping. There was no reason to, he thinks to himself determinedly as he picks up his brush again, the other hand holding his sleeve out of the way. This may be the longest Taekwoon had gone, by months now, but Hakyeon didn’t know for sure if that was cause for worry. 

He dips his brush into his inkstone and starts writing, deep in thought. The estate had more non-humans than humans- spirits, ghosts, and weird phenomena. But Hakyeon isn’t a part of their world, and Taekwoon had always been cagey about that part of the world especially as it got closer and closer to his own history. Hakyeon didn’t really mind, not when Taekwoon was infinitely more important than some distant world. There was nothing Hakyeon wouldn’t trust him with. So he held his tongue for once, and quietly hoarded whatever pearl of history Taekwoon inadvertently dropped.

He sighs. Well, he’s regretting it now, isn’t he? He glanced down at his work, lips pursed. It would be alright, if he was still a student. Hongbin would laugh at him if he sees it. Brat. 

His mood is ruined, and the beauty of his gardens and the sunny day is suddenly lost to him. It’s been like this all month- easily distracted like some pining teenager. Taekwoon’s absence continued to ache and it was a distraction Hakyeon didn’t need. Now that it’s bloomed into full fledge concern, there was no stopping it from taking over his thoughts.

It was getting ridiculous. Hakyeon let out a huff, putting down his brush and giving up today’s work as a lost cause. What Hakyeon had to do next was going to be so _annoying_ but it to be done.

“Hyunjin? Would you come down for a moment?”

  
  
  


“Well, well, guess who finally came crawling back to me,” the little brat sing songs. 

Hakyeon scowls, and he reaches over to neck chop the smug little brat. Sanghyuk glares back, rubbing at his neck. He’s being only a little dramatic- Hakyeon was much too soft hearted to actually hit him properly. Usually, anyway.

The koto furunishi was holed up in some room that Hakyeon was fairly certain didn’t exist until Sanghyuk had willed it into existence. It wasn’t very big but it was nice and homey that screamed Sanghyuk. Hakyeon could read his history in this room. There was that old scroll Hakyeon had made, a pair of swords from Taekwoon and a cute little bonsai also from Taekwoon, all below the strange paintings that kept increasing whenever Hakyeon popped by. The new one was of a dramatically posed girl dressed in butterflies and bright green. Hakyeon silently assesses it. It was just as dumb as the rest.

Its owner was in front of his koto, the rich wood and beautiful mother of pearl panels going poorly with the rude little note Sanghyuk had played when Hakyeon had slid open his doors. Hyunjin had already scampered off, eager to spend time with Heejin, leaving him and the brat all alone.

He sits back down. Normally, he loves spending time with Hyuk. He was a bit of a brat, but also painfully sweet and younger than Hakyeon in all the ways that mattered. He had taken the young yokai under his wing accidentally, and by the time they’d realized- well. There was no changing the fondness Hakyeon had for the boy, despite Hyuk’s halfhearted protests.

He loved him dearly, but he could be so _annoying_ and this was going to be one of the times. Hyuk looks at him smugly, fingers trailing over the koto’s strings in a faint melody despite his too soft touch. Hakyeon scowls. 

“I was just here yesterday. What on earth are you on about?” he snaps. Hyuk shakes his head sagely, as if he wasn’t a babyface with a head full of curls. “Sure, but now you’re all grumpy and serious. That means you’ve started pining again hyung. You’re pretty obvious, you know.” He says this with a serious look and while playing a sad little note. It doesn’t fool Hakyeon. He can see the evil in those eyes. He narrows his eyes. “I’m not pining. I’m rightfully _concerned_ , Sanghyuk. Unlike some heartless brat.” Hakyeon says snidely. 

Hyuk rolls his eyes, “Whatever you say, hyung. Do you want to know or not?” 

Hakyeon frowns. “He actually told you what he’s doing this time?” It’s not...strange. There were things he, who was human, could never quite understand the way Taekwoon and Sanghyuk did. Hakyeon knows that there were some things both of them were more comfortable confiding only in each other. But rarely was it things like this- when Taekwoon disappeared, no one knew where he’d gone. Even after his return, he refused to explain anything concrete, at first to a younger Hakyeon’s sadness then Hyuk’s disappointment when he had started getting attached to them. For Taekwoon to tell Sanghyuk…. This trip was different then.

Sanghyuk picks up on Hakyeon’s mood, too familiar with the human. He plucks at the strings measuredly, thinking. It was a heavy thing, what Taekwoon had told him. Sanghyuk didn’t really care, and didn’t think Taekwoon should be so hung up over it, but it obviously mattered to him. Not that he was telling that much to Hakyeon. The older would throw a fit.

“He’s gone to find Ravi. God of fate, death, underworld, you know,” Sanghyuk finally says, trying to inject some casualness to it. Hakyeon stares at him, disbelieving. Which Sanghyuk guesses is the appropriate reaction when you say someone’s lover had gone off to visit one of the scarier and more powerful gods without a word and had yet to return. 

Hakyeon freezes, his brow furrowed as he internally turns this over. Sometimes, Hakyeon just said whatever stupid thing that crossed his mind, but that was always a deliberate choice made when he felt free and unbothered. He stopped the moment he actually gets a little serious, and concern over Taekwoon probably topped the list. Which Sanghyuk gets, if he’s forced to admit it. He’s been gone a while.

Alright, maybe Sanghyuk is a little worried too. Even if he thinks his hyung was stupid and cheesy, visiting one of the old Gods was no small thing. The gods, small letters, were many and plentiful. Give him a few years and Sanghyuk reckons he could turn into one of them. But the capital letter Gods were distinct. They had come from something much deeper and older than the earth, and the power they held was so much _more_. Sanghyuk couldn’t imagine holding that much. The thought of facing them, and the powerlessness- it sent a shudder down his spine. He himself wasn’t much of anything really, though it annoyed him to admit. So many things were still beyond him. Taekwoon was more, sure, but not that much more, Sanghyuk is fairly certain.

He plays his koto again, and the music it plays better reflects his thoughts than his hands. It was him and part of him after all. Once, this koto was all he was. Then a hundred years later and decades of abuse and neglect made him _more_ , just barely. But Hakyeon had been there, and where Hakyeon was, Taekwoon wasn’t too far behind.

And now he wasn’t.

The music is gentle, but a little melancholy. More honest than Sanghyuk had intended to be. He swallows but Hakyeon finally looks at him properly, this time with a small smile. The reassuring one that came out whenever he thought Sanghyuk needed it. Sanghyuk is never sure how real the placidity is but whatever the answer, Hakyeon is good at fixing things. He’s always fixed things. This time it’s Sanghyuk who looks away. 

“That’s a start, I guess. Thank you, Hyukkie,” Hakyeon says firmly. Sanghyuk nods. He curls his hands over his laps. Hesitates.

“You’re going to do something dumb, aren’t you? Like looking for him?”

Hakyeon doesn’t hesitate. “Of course, I will. Who else would look after him?” he says, a little fondness brightening his voice. _Me_ , Sanghyuk thinks. Hakyeon was older and had always looked out for him, but this was _godly_ shit, they were talking about. Hakyeon sounded like he was just going to go off to fetch Taekwoon from down the street, and not go off to some God’s domain, and leave himself to god knows what. He was just human, but Sanghyuk isn’t much better is he? If Taekwoon couldn’t handle it, Sanghyuk can’t imagine that he somehow magically would be able to do what his hyung couldn’t.

Hakyeon interrupts him, placing a hand on his and leans a little closer. “I’ll figure it out Sanghyuk. Don’t worry about it, it’s not your fault he tries so hard to be mysterious and going off to do things by himself,” he says firmly. He looks Sanghyuk dead in the eye, serious now. Sanghyuk inhales. There’s a reason why Hakyeon will always be his hyung. Not just age, but for this. Somehow, Sanghyuk feels like he could do anything as long as he set his mind to it.

Slowly, he nods. “Whatever. Just. Let me know if you need help.”

Hakyeon rolls his eyes. “I’m sure you’ll tell me if I do,” he says, fake annoyed but his hand stays where it is, immeasurably warm over Sanghyuk’s.

**Author's Note:**

> hopefully longer and less rough next time.
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/jungtaeswoon)


End file.
